FAB Periodic Information

Meeting/1

BLUE MED Programme

EUROCONTROL HQ, 26-9-07

C. Cantoni – Project Manager

 SUMMARY

Î What is BLUE MED

Î Overview on BM participation at the PIM/1
– Why BM at the PIM/1
– What BM is expecting from PIM/1
– How can BM contribute to the PIM/1
Î Experiences
– Work still in progress, but..
Î Work plan - following phases
Î Conclusion

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 BLUE MED at a glance
Î An operationally driven Feasibility Study performed by a group of
Mediterranean ANSPs (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Tunisia and Egypt
as observer) with the support of EUROCONTROL and SICTA;
Î To investigate, fairly and openly, the feasibility of creating one or more
FABs over the study area (bottom up);
Î An EC TEN-T funding request has been granted (1M€);
Î To investigate operational, technical, institutional, economical, legal,
social issues, and creating consensus;
Î To define an agreed roadmap for implementation
Î To define an agreed set of KPIs to monitor efficiency and improve
transparency
Î Potentially extensible to other countries and looking for links with other
FABs initiatives
Î Supported by regional universities (Trieste – Athens)

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 BLUE MED at the PIM/1

Î Why BM at the PIM/1

– Good to be in a large forum, good to verify overall progress,
but be pragmatic!
– Specific requests to all PIM participants

Î What BM is expecting from PIM/1

– Initiate a periodic exchange of experiences and best
practices
– Set-up cooperation among technical teams involved in
different FAB initiatives

Î How can BM contribute to the PIM/1

– Skilled team of Operational/Technical experts (improving
their knowledge of a FAB environment on a daily bases)
ready to work with other colleagues on practical
arrangements

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 EXPERIENCES

Î BLUE MED existing Operational Scenario

(Completed)
– Very good cooperation in identifying existing Cross-Border
issues
– Very good and proactive approach, funded on practical
cross-border route network proposals to be discussed by
different Airspace Design departments and implemented in
the short term

Î BLUE MED Future Operational Context

(Completed)
– Here is where we would like to exchange views and put our
hands on with you
– Here is where we need to comply with all local
requirements in order to make all the FABs structure work

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 EXPERIENCES
Î BLUE MED Interoperability issues (end date: November 2007)
– State of the art: analysis of the current technical situation
– Identification of areas for improvement
– Interoperability issues
– Analysis of interoperability taking into account defined local strategy
– Definition of a minimum set of IOP requirements for the Virtual Centre
– Definition of a widely agreed set of IOP requirements
– 2015 scenario:
– GAP analysis
– Compliance with SESAR (roadmap: mid-term + long term objectives)
– Common definition of SESAR-compliant long term objectives

Î BLUE MED Route Charging (end date: November 2007)

– Simulations ongoing, tackling different scenarios
– Scenarios will take into account traffic boosted at 2015 and the brand-new BM 2015 route network
– Scenarios:
– to compare the existing situation and different airspace configuration coming from the operational package,
and
– to identify both national and unique unit rates for the FABs

Î BLUE MED CBA (end date: January 2008)

– High level CBA, capable of identifying:
– main areas of intervention to reach a minimum level of interoperability and a roadmap of investments to
improve cost-effectiveness
– benefits to be exploited from the creation of the FABs onwards.

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 Common fields for cooperation

ÎFUTURE OPERATIONAL
CONTEXT

Î INTEROPERABILITY

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 BM Future Operational Context: summary

Î BM FOC Aim
Î Working Group and method
Î New ATS route network design
– Principles
– Methodology
– Assumptions
– Results
Î Sector Families

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 BM Future Operational Context: aim

Î The aim of BM FOC was to investigate the potential

benefit of an improved airspace structure in the BLUE
MED region.
Î The BM FOC developed a proposal for a revised ATS
network for the BLUE MED region in 2015, built on
the principle of offering direct tracks that has the
potential to increase flight efficiency (in terms of route
mileage, fuel savings and a reduction in emissions).
Î A detailed exercise of ATC sectorisation is not within
the objectives of the Feasibility Study, but an initial
look at options for the definition of Sector Families
was completed.

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 Working group and method

Î Between March and September 2007 a series of

meetings was held to progress BM FOC.
Î Representatives from ENAV S.p.A, HCAA, MATS,
DCAC, OACA and NANSC were present and
supported by the technical skills of personnel from
SITCA and EUROCONTROL.
Î The work was assisted by technical analysis using
the System for traffic Assignment and Analysis at a
Macroscopic level (SAAM) tool.

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 ATS network: Design Principles

Î Planning should take into account the needs of both

civil and military airspace users.
Î Planning should aim at enabling a majority of flights
to operate along or as near as possible to a direct
route from origin to destination.
– Priority should be given to the main flows.
Î Route planning should be seamless with no regard to
national boundaries.
Î Military airspace can be relocated provided transit
time to/from the airfields are not extended.
Î The design of the TMAs will not be changed unless
significant benefit can be proved.
Î All airspace should be considered available for
planning (i.e. CDRs can be considered through any
TSA/TRA).
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 ATS Network: Methodology 1/2

Î Developing an airspace structure capable of offering

the AOs straighter routes and more routeing options
between city pairs
Î Not a clean sheet approach where a network is
developed from scratch
Î Taking advantage of work already done on the
development of a future ECAC ATS route (AAS)
– One element of AAS is a ‘target’ ATS route network for the
ECAC region that is based on traffic demand without
considering geopolitical constraints. As such it represents a
vision that responds to the AOs requirement for better flight
efficiency

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 ATS Network: Methodology 2/2

Cross check
Identification
for existing /
of main traffic Grouping of
similar AAS
flows (direct flows
route
tracks)
alignment

BLUE MED 2015

Add Develop new
network
proposals to ATS route
(AAS enhanced AAS baseline proposals
by proposals)

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 ATS network: Assumptions
Î For the study flights would be assigned by the SAAM tool on the
shortest path available.
Î The ‘future’ network would be tested with a future traffic sample
(STATFOR data - medium growth).
Î The airspace over Kosovo, which is currently (summer 2007)
unavailable for overflights by GAT was considered to be available in
both the Short Term and 2015 studies.
Î When designing the new ATS routes across existing military airspace,
the segments through the TSA/TRA etc were given CDR1 status.
Î The new airport in Tunisia is expected to be in operation at the end of
2009. This was added to the 2015 SAAM model together with the initial
proposals for entry and exit points.
Î Most en-route RAD restrictions (strategic rules in the SAAM model)
were lifted allowing most flights to be assigned on the shortest path.
The strategic rules around the major TMAs were retained.
Î No wind effect was applied in the model.
Î There are no A380 aircraft or Very Light Jets (VLJ) in the traffic
samples as they were based on the actual traffic of 2006.

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 ATS route network for 2015

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 Considerations 1/2

Î The development of a proposed ATS route network

for the BLUE MED region can be considered as a
major benefit regardless of whether the FAB follows.
Î A regional plan for ATS route proposals that offer the
AOs better routeings in the BLUE MED area has
never been developed before, but now proposals
exist that can be further evaluated and implemented.
Î This has been made possible by the constructive
attitude of the participants and their wish to improve
the airspace structure at a regional rather than
national level.

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 Considerations 2/2
Î Flight: LMML – LRCL
Although, comparing BM 2015 (in blue) against the AAS (in green), the saving is
28 NMs, the example illustrates need for network overview/coordination among
different FAB initiatives which should anyway share a common base
(methodologies, assumptions, etc)…

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 Operational Benefits

Î Offering clear benefit to:

– AOs - route mileage, fuel savings
– Community - reduction in emissions
– ANSPs – improved airspace design, ATFCM

Current Network

AAS

BLUE MED

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 Results: Route extension 1/2

Î Calculation of route extension is made by comparing

the direct line between the TMA exit and entry point
with the shortest available route.
Exit

TMA A
TMA B

Entry

Î Results based on the assignment of three daily traffic

samples:
– 20th – 21st of July and 27th of August 2006.

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 Results: Route extension 2/2

% reduction in theoretical route extension

Anticipated ATS

Theoretical route extension, ECAC wide

Version Short
3.87% route network (up to
Term (VST) 1 year in advance)
20%
Advanced Planned network
3.08% Airspace including ECAC wide
Scheme (AAS) proposal (long term)
6%
BLUE MED AAS plus ATS route
2.90% 2015 ATS proposals in BLUE
route network MED region

More than 100000 nms of saving per day

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 Sector Families

Î Summary of relevant elements for establishing FABs

that meet the operational requirements:

1. Define a pan European, future ATS route network based on

traffic demand, taking the military requirements into
accounts.
account.
2. Delineation of Sector Families around areas of high
complexity and traffic density.
3. Group the Sector Families into FABs using additional
criteria (impact assessment on technical, military, social etc
implications).
– Provided the integrity of the Sector Families is maintained, the
airspace can claim to be “based on operational requirements”.

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 Sector Families: one of the options

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 Sector Families: one of the options

Î Sector Families
– We are not dealing with an exact science
– Many possibilities when delineating families
– More detailed (and joint with neighbouring FABs) analysis
required in the Definition Phase

Î Sector Families for BM show just a vision for

likely sector families over the BM area
– Note the difference from the RN proposals, since BM
partners are encouraged to initiate (through existing
channels) the implementation process.

BM wants to share with you its proposals

(need to reach a wide agreement, inter-FABs)
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 Common fields for cooperation

Î FUTURE OPERATIONAL CONTEXT

ÎINTEROPERABILITY

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 What we can do

Î BM can share results on interoperability with

neighbouring FABs initiatives and improve
synergies in the longer term
– Common objectives for the short term taking into
account existing (common) strategies
– Common IOP solutions in order to minimise cost
of defragmentation
– Define common plans dealing with SESAR
– …

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 WORKPLAN – Following Project Phases

Î BLUE MED Feasibility Study (P1) deadline: February

2008
Î BLUE MED Definition Phase (P2), a 2/3 year project
aiming at
– going deeper into feasible practical arrangements
(operational, technical and financial..)
– going deeper into legal and institutional frameworks to
make all that practically works come true
Î BLUE MED Implementation Phase (P3), a 2 year
phase
– subject to political go/no go implementation decision, to
finally get one or more operating FABs in the Mediterranean
area

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 Conclusion

Î BLUE MED Team is working, taking advantage in the

future from
– A stable partnership, delivering and creating consensus
– A clear roadmap for implementation
– Measurable steps, taking care of every relevant aspect
(operational, military, technical, social, economic,
environmental..) and considering all implications relevant for
the final result
– A shared set of KPIs, defined to monitor the progress and
plan corrections/interventions

Î BLUE MED Definition Phase needs to improve the

context
– A Pan-European perspective is required
– Shared (even if limited) set of practical objectives to work on
– Shared and wider view on specific technical items

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